This proposal is predicated on the belief that interracial conflict constitutes a major stress in the lives of many members of our society. As such, given the relationship between stress and a multitude of mental and physical health disorders, interracial conflict can be seen as contributing to health-related as well as social problems. Interracial conflict, particularly among children, however, is little understood. Moreover, when and how children construe conflict as racially motivated, and how they cope with that information, has not been examined. The overall goal of the present proposal, then, is to examine children's understanding of the influence of racial status on social interaction. More specifically, the following questions are of interest: (1) how Black and White children understand unfair treatment in social interactions between children of the same or different races; (2) how such understanding changes over age; and (3) what children describe as ways for coping with these interactions. In order to investigate the questions, 192 White and Black children between the ages of 6 and 14 will be interviewed. In the interview, children will be presented a set of vignettes, each depicting a situation in which one character is unfairly treated by another character. The racial composition of the characters in each of the vignettes will be systematically varied so that the influence of the racial status of the characters on children's interpretations of the stories can be examined. Following presentation of each vignette, the subject will be asked a series of questions designed to disclose his or her interpretation of the situations as well as knowledge of ways for coping with such interactions. Responses to the questions will be scored using a coding scheme and will be examined for developmental changes, as well as any differences in the responses between White and Black children. The research will not only enhance our knowledge of children's development of racial awareness and their understanding of the social significance of race at a general theoretical level, but will also contribute valuable information that will enable professionals to help children develop strategies for coping with the stress associated with racial differences in social situations.